What is Trauma and PTSD?

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious psychiatric condition that occurs in people who have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event or series of events, such as war, terrorism, a serious accident, violent acts or sexual violence.

A broad range of treatments can be recommended for dealing with and healing from PTSD and other trauma-related issues. It is important to receive positive support and reinforcement from family and friends after a traumatic event.

More formal psychological treatments can then commence, involving talking things out with a qualified trauma counsellor. If it is deemed necessary, actual medications can be prescribed for the sufferer to assist with the symptoms.

Psychological & Emotional Trauma

Particular events or periods in life can cause extreme reactions, whether you’re struggling to shake off the effects of a past event, or are continually exposed to situations that cause stress, fear or anxiety. These emotional and psychological effects can even manifest physically – leaving you tired, on-edge and unwell. Often it can be beneficial to speak to someone who understands your situation, and can advise you on how to overcome it. That’s where counselling and psychotherapy can assist.

Trauma might come about because of a range of events, such as physical, sexual or childhood abuse. If your response to these events is particularly severe, then you might develop PTSD, so it’s important to talk things through in a safe and understanding environment. Wendy’s treatment methods focus on changing your thinking, emotions and behaviour, and helping you improve your mindset.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post Traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD, is a condition that can occur after a person is exposed to a traumatic event, for example an accident, abuse, assault or even combat situations (see a more detailed description in the Conditions section).

Feelings of fear, anger and sadness are common after such events, but normally they will pass. If you’re still suffering from these negative thoughts and emotions several weeks later, you may well have PTSD, and it’s important that you seek help from an experienced psychotherapist.

Trauma and PTSD symptoms

Symptoms of trauma can start to show within a brief period of time after the traumatic event, or they can take years to materialise.

Symptoms can include vivid memories of the event, causing stress to the person, a reliving of the event in the form of flashbacks, nightmares about the event, hallucinations, and great emotional distress that comes along with the remembering or reliving of the occurrence. It can also lead to other side-effects such as trouble sleeping and concentrating, feelings of guilt and/or shame, being easily startled, irritability and others.

Psychological trauma

it is a person’s unique experience of an event or series of events that is so severe that it seriously tests their ability to cope, to live a normal life. It can lead to a person feeling completely overwhelmed and needing to detach from the event and even from life itself.

The effects of trauma are potentially many, it can lead to a heightened sense of fear and panic, nightmares, hallucinations and flashbacks, attacks of depression and/or anxiety, irritability, difficulty sleeping, lessened self-esteem and a need to withdraw from life and people.

Symptoms of PTSD

PTSD can reveal itself in a sufferer in a number of different ways. It can cause nightmares and flashbacks of the event, an overwhelming need to avoid people or places that remind the person of the event, jumpiness, a sense of ongoing threat and a need to stay constantly on the lookout, depression and irritability, pain, headaches, panic attacks and others.

My Step-by-Step process

In our initial session I will deeply listen and attend to your full life story. I’ll ask you about your life passions, the things you feel are challenging your well-being, and your medical history. From here I’ll help you to start healing and feel at peace with yourself. In counselling and psychotherapy sessions, I help you resolve your problems and any past traumas by focusing on a proven 6 step process.

Step 1: Develop Safety and Trust

We will first work to ensure that you feel safe in your relationship with me. I will do whatever I can to help you feel comfortable and to meet your needs. I will be accepting of you and whatever issues you want to discuss with me. Building a trusting relationship with me will help you feel more safe, secure and confident within yourself and with others.

Step 2: Discover How to Calm and Soothe Yourself

When you have had long-standing problems such as depression, anxiety, and troubled relationships, your emotions are often on high alert and can feel out of control.

In therapy, we will work to help you relax your mind and your body so that you feel calmer and more at peace. This will make it easier to live your life feeling more comfortable and in control

Step 3: Feeling More at Ease in Your Relationships

As you progress in therapy, you will increase your understanding of how your relationships with others have been impacted by the stressful events in your life.

You will develop a stronger sense of yourself in your relationships, set better boundaries, and become clear on what you need and want from them

Step 4: Increasing Self-Awareness

As your self-awareness of your problems and the role trauma has played in your life increase, you will be able to respond to your life and others in a more positive way.

You will no longer feel like a victim to your emotions and behaviors. You will feel good about the choices you make and your approach to life.

Step 5: Helping You Improve Your Mood

As you heal in therapy, you will begin to experience more joy and pleasure. You will unearth your creativity and experience a greater sense of competence and mastery.

Step 6: Integrating Your Learning into

Your Life You will feel stronger in yourself and feel more whole. Problems and distressing events from the past will no longer have a “hold” on you. You will have a sense of being free and alive.

Why Choose Me?

I work with you from a framework of compassion and collaboration to help you solve your problems.

I commit to working with you until you heal. My core philosophy is that there is always hope for you to feel better about your life.

I help you manage strong emotions, as well as change your thinking and behaviors so that your life improves

I will listen to you and accept you, regardless of the problems you bring to therapy.

I support you towards being more loving and caring towards yourself, increasing your self-confidence, having better relationships and feeling good about your life.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are trauma and PTSD the same thing?

PTSD was once applicable only to soldiers returning from war, and was considered separate from people suffering from trauma in everyday life, car crashes, violent assaults and rape, abuse etc. Today, the definitions of the two intersect a little more, with traumas experienced in the everyday world being considered a contributor to the PTSD condition.

How common is PTSD in Australia?

According to The Australian Centre for Post Traumatic Mental Health, up to 12% of people will suffer from PTSD at some point in their lives. At this point, it is estimated that almost one million people in Australia suffer from the effects of PTSD.

How can you tell if someone has PTSD?

There are several telltale signs you can look out for, such as depressed mood, difficulty sleeping, unwillingness to go out and interact with others, if the person complains of having nightmares and flashbacks. Of course, it is highly advisable to have it professionally diagnosed before any conclusions are drawn.